Wild, hot winds swept across Australia and New Zealand on Wednesday, fueling wildfires and sending spring temperatures soaring past 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in parts of Sydney.
Australia's weather bureau said a powerful mass of hot air that built up over the country’s outback on Tuesday was now moving across the southeast of the country and bringing an early heatwave.
Wind gusts of up to 100 kph (62 mph) raised bushfire threats and forced authorities to issue several total fire bans across New South Wales, the most populous state.
A total of 36 fires are burning, with nine yet to be contained, authorities said.
Temperatures in Sydney’s central business district soared past 37 C by the afternoon, while the western suburbs of Penrith and Bankstown reached 40 C.
“It is still spring and we are seeing these incredibly warm temperatures,” Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Angus Hines.
The fire season usually runs from November through February, the late southern hemisphere spring through summer.
Across the Tasman Sea in New Zealand, authorities issued rare “red” level wind warnings, reserved for only the most extreme weather events, for central and southern parts of the country.
Firefighters battled to contain wildfires near Kaikoura on the South Island and in Hawke's Bay on the North Island, fanned by the winds.
The fires have so far destroyed several properties, including five homes.
Ingka, the parent company of the Swedish furniture giant IKEA, confirmed that fire had burnt some pine trees that were intended for furniture but that it would not impact the company’s global supply chain.
The government also declared a state of emergency in the Canterbury region on Wednesday afternoon to assist in the response to the severe weather conditions.
Forecaster MetService said it expects gusts could reach 150 kph along the South Island's east coast and up to 140 kph around Wellington, the capital, on Thursday. Heavy rain is also forecast for parts of the country.
Authorities said people should stay indoors, avoid travel and prepare for possible power and communications outages.
The warnings follow strong winds and heavy rain on Tuesday that left thousands without power and killed a man in a Wellington park when a tree branch fell on him.
